Paul Foot's 'The Donkeys' - Genius Theatre That Could Not Exist Outside 2020

When it feels like there’s very little in the world worth laughing at, Paul Foot writes his own soap opera - about a family of firefighters named the Donkeys - and casts regular people from around the globe to take part. If that doesn’t make sense, don’t worry, very little about the stand-up’s creation does - but don’t let that fact inspire trepidation. Within this bizarre adventure of firefighters, murder and adultery, lies a genius piece of theatre that could never happen outside of this year.

The livestream performance works, fundamentally, in three separate parts; Foot’s players act out the scenes of a fictitious soap opera, Foot communicates with the players and his audience directly, and Foot delivers his trademark brand of surrealist comedy. Each part plays an integral role in the night’s proceedings, and each is peppered throughout in bite-sized morsels. One second a member of the Donkey family is getting their flange massaged, the next the comedian is acting out a hypothetical scene of matrimonial heartbreak. It’s borderline off-putting in its pacing, and something the Foot unaffiliated would definitely have trouble digesting. Given the innate unpredictable nature of this kind of show, potential audience members are encouraged not to go in blindly.

For those baptised in his ways, Foot’s madcap buffoonery is at its purest and most enjoyable straight from the source. When diluted through the streams of his fans (or “connoisseurs" as they are known amongst one another), a certain manic vivacity is lost in the translation. That’s not to say there isn’t something enjoyable about watching those in lockdown and beyond quench their thirst for comedic stimulation - no doubt there’s a lot of fun in those parts.

"Even in his moments of concentration, the UK comic is a beacon of unfathomable, tumultuous energy."

Instead, this exercise in pandemic-era entertainment goes to show just how extremely difficult it is to land 'random' and 'absurdist' comedy. A format that is so often touted as lazily unedited and lacking substance, here the naysayers can see just how much care and attention goes into making this media seem so unhinged and off the cuff. Watching the actors suddenly become awash with befuddlement (they’ve been instructed not to read the script in advance) is as enjoyable to observe as it seemly is to be involved. However, it’s hard not to let the eyes drift back to Foot in the corner of the screen, wryly smirking on at the chaotic tableau that he has created. Even in his moments of concentration, the UK comic is a beacon of unfathomable, tumultuous energy.

Regardless of the perceived success of livestreamed performances, it is undeniable that Foot is at the vanguard of a new wave in modern comedy. Instead of attempting to recreate the lost sense of intimacy, he has replaced it altogether with something entirely new. Audience participation has never looked like this - and likely never will once the return to physical stages is a reality. This is a historical bubble in which the world finds itself, and artists are acting, reacting, and creating in line with this one in a billion situation. Comedians especially, who rely on an audience in a way no other artistic medium does, have to work in brand new ways to reach their people and engage the world. For everything 2020 has thrown at the wall, perhaps the most positive and unexpected is a revolution of entertainment. Necessity is the mother of invention, and Foot may just be comedy’s Einstein.